Arm Lift Surgeries Rise in Popularity

11 February 2014

Dr. Nidal (Nick) Masri

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In the past decade, surgeons have gone from completing approximately 300 brachioplasty arm lift surgeries a year to completing an excess of 15,000 surgeries a year. There are many reasons that someone may opt to go under the knife to remove the loose skin hanging under their upper arms, but most people are driven to the surgery after

losing a substantial amount of weight.

When someone loses a large amount of weight, the skin is often left hanging loose. This is an unacceptable look for someone who lost weight in order to look and feel better. Removing the skin is often a final step in the weight loss journey.

Lifestyle Change and Surgery

The increase in the number of people seeking brachioplasty surgery is a reflection of our modern lifestyle. With the overabundance of food, popularity of fast food and electronic conveniences that eliminate the need for movement, more people are overweight than ever before. While there are stories everywhere about the rise of obesity, there are also many people becoming more active and watching what they eat in order to lose weight.

Once the weight is lost, it is now perfectly acceptable for women and men to go under the knife to remove remaining imperfections. Loose skin hanging under the arms is a common problem even for those who are not overweight or obese, but it can become an even bigger problem for those who have lost large amounts of weight.

Plastic surgery was once something that no one would admit to in public. It eventually became an expensive option reserved for movie stars and the rich and famous. Even if you could afford it during those days, you weren’t likely to admit your surgeries to others. Today, the stigma has been lifted and plastic surgery is an acceptable option for anyone interested in looking and feeling their best.

There are also more surgeons trained to complete plastic surgery procedures today. Most people can find at least a few surgeons available within an hour’s drive of their home, and they can look at before and after pictures from each surgeon’s previous procedures. This gives patients greater comfort going under the knife for brachioplasty or other procedures.

Liposuction vs. Brachioplasty

Liposuction is not as invasive as brachioplasty, but it is not suitable for patients with hanging skin that will not tighten up independently. While liposuction is suitable for someone who wants to remove a bit of fat so that their arms look and feel tighter and more shapely, brachioplasty is a more complicated procedure that actually removes the damaged skin hanging underneath the arms. This skin no longer contains the skin that would be removed by the liposuction procedure.

The Downsides to Surgery

While removing excess underarm skin will help many people feel more confident about their bodies, there are some downsides to going under the knife. For starters, brachioplasty is expensive. It is considered elective surgery in most cases, and that means most insurance companies will not cover the surgery. Prices can soar beyond $5,000 depending on the amount of skin removed and the surgeon completing the procedure.

This surgery also leaves a scar along the underside of the arm that can become more prominent over time. While that may bother some people, others find that the scar is far less noticeable than the “batwings” that would otherwise jiggle every time they lifted an arm.